Effectiveness of Longan Syrup on Improving Sleep Quality Among Insomnia Volunteers
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: The poor quality sleep has a negative effect on health. Many studies have shown that longan and certain herbs contain some substances affecting nervous system and brain, helping to improve sleep quality.
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of longan sugar consumption on sleep quality among insomnia volunteers.
Methods: Parallel randomized controlled trial study of 54 participants with mild to moderate insomnia, aged 35 to 60 years were randomly assigned to 4 groups; 12 participants received brown syrup (control group), 14 participants received longan syrup, 15 participants received organic longan syrup, and 13 participants received organic longan syrup with herbs. Participants consumed 1 tablespoon (15 mL) daily by mixing with water (150 - 200 mL) before bedtime (15 - 30 minutes) for 4 weeks. Sleep quality was measured with the Thai version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at week 0 and 4. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to analyze the difference within group. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the differences between groups. The statistically significant difference was determined at P < .05.
Results: Within-group comparisons revealed that longan syrup, organic longan syrup, and organic longan syrup with herbs groups showed significant improvement in sleep quality score (P < .05), while brown syrup group showed no significant improvement in sleep quality score (P > .05). In addition, the between-group comparisons showed no significant difference in sleep quality score (P > .05).
Conclusions: Consuming 3 types of longan syrup could improve sleep quality.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles are distributed by the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY-NC-ND) license. Copyright © 2024 by the authors. Licensee RMJ, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
References
Medic G, Wille M, Hemels ME. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-161. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864
Thai Health Promotion Foundation. 19 million Thai people “insomnia” do not buy medicine by themselves. March 15, 2019. Accessed January 16, 2023. https://www.thaihealth.or.th/?p=236786
Bhaskar S, Hemavathy D, Prasad S. Prevalence of chronic insomnia in adult patients and its correlation with medical comorbidities. J Family Med Prim Care. 2016;5(4):780-784. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.201153
Paparrigopoulos T, Tzavara C, Theleritis C, Psarros C, Soldatos C, Tountas Y. Insomnia and its correlates in a representative sample of the Greek population. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:531. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-531
Bjorness TE, Greene RW. Adenosine and sleep. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2009;7(3):238-245. doi:10.2174/157015909789152182
Yang B, Jiang Y, Shi J, Chen C, Ashraf M. Extraction and pharmacological properties of bioactive compounds from longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) fruit - a review. Food Res Int. 2011;44(7):1837-1842. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2010.10.019.
Bhuia MS, Rahaman MM, Islam T, et al. Neurobiological effects of gallic acid: current perspectives. Chin Med. 2023;18(1):27. doi:10.1186/s13020-023-00735-7
Wang W, Yang L, Liu T, Wang J, Wen A, Ding Y. Ellagic acid protects mice against sleep deprivation-induced memory impairment and anxiety by inhibiting TLR4 and activating Nrf2. Aging (Albany NY). 2020;12(11):10457-10472. doi:10.18632/aging.103270
Wang W, Yang L, Liu T, et al. Corilagin ameliorates sleep deprivation-induced memory impairments by inhibiting NOX2 and activating Nrf2. Brain Res Bull. 2020;160:141-149. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.03.010
Food Innovation and Packaging Center, Chiang Mai University. Research Project Full Report: Effect of Longan Syrup on Sleep Quality and Blood Pressure in Healthy Thai Volunteers. Food Innovation and Packaging Center, Chiang Mai University; 2017:1-27.
Temwong N. Relationship of phenolic compounds and vitamin C with total antioxidant capacity in Centella asiatica. Adv Sci J. 2008;8(1):117-126. Accessed January 16, 2023. http://202.29.54.235/advscij/e-magazine/8-1/chapter-12.pdf
Jana U, Sur TK, Maity LN, Debnath PK, Bhattacharyya D. A clinical study on the management of generalized anxiety disorder with Centella asiatica. Nepal Med Coll J. 2010;12(1):8-11.
Chen Y, Han T, Rui Y, Yin M, Qin L, Zheng H. Effects of total triterpenes of Centella asiatica on the corticosterone levels in serum and contents of monoamine in depression rat brain. Zhong Yao Cai. 2005;28(6):492-496.
Zick SM, Wright BD, Sen A, Arnedt JT. Preliminary examination of the efficacy and safety of a standardized chamomile extract for chronic primary insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011;11:78. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-78
Zhang K, Song W, Li D, Jin X. Apigenin in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and protection of blood vessels. Exp Ther Med. 2017;13(5):1719-1724. doi:10.3892/etm.2017.4165
Nathan PJ, Lu K, Gray M, Oliver C. The neuropharmacology of L-theanine (N-ethyl-L-glutamine): a possible neuroprotective and cognitive enhancing agent. J Herb Pharmacother. 2006;6(2):21-30.
Ross SM. L-theanine (suntheanin): effects of L-theanine, an amino acid derived from Camellia sinensis (green tea), on stress response parameters. Holist Nurs Pract. 2014;28(1):65-68. doi:10.1097/HNP.0000000000000009
Morin CM, Belleville G, Bélanger L, Ivers H. The insomnia severity index: psychometric indicators to detect insomnia cases and evaluate treatment response. Sleep. 2011;34(5):601-608. doi:10.1093/sleep/34.5.601
Sakpal TV. Sample size estimation in clinical trial. Perspect Clin Res. 2010;1(2):67-69.
Shayesteh M, Vaez-Mahdavi MR, Shams J, et al. Effects of Viola odorata as an add-on therapy on insomnia in patients with obsession or depression: a pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2020;26(5):398-408. doi:10.1089/acm.2019.0254
Sitasuwan T, Bussaratid S, Ruttanaumpawan P, Chotinaiwattarakul W. Reliability and validity of the Thai version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. J Med Assoc Thai. 2014;97 Suppl 3:S57-S67.
Mie A, Andersen HR, Gunnarsson S, et al. Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review. Environ Health. 2017;16(1):111. doi:10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4
Shahrajabian MH, Sun W, Cheng Q. Modern pharmacological actions of longan fruits and their usages in traditional herbal remedies. J Med Plants Stud. 2019;7(4):179-185.
Hibi M. Potential of polyphenols for improving sleep: a preliminary result from review of human clinical trials and mechanistic insights. Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1257. doi:10.3390/nu15051257
Kambe D, Kotani M, Yoshimoto M, Kaku S, Chaki S, Honda K. Effects of quercetin on the sleep-wake cycle in rats: involvement of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor type A in regulation of rapid eye movement sleep. Brain Res. 2010;1330:83-88. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.03.033
Ma Y, Eun J-S, Lee K-S, et al. Methanol extract of Longanae arillus regulates sleep architecture and EEG power spectra in restraint-stressed rats. Nat Prod Sci. 2009;15(4):213-221.
Langade D, Kanchi S, Salve J, Debnath K, Ambegaokar D. Efficacy and safety of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in insomnia and anxiety: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Cureus. 2019;11(9):e5797. doi:10.7759/cureus.5797
Deshpande A, Irani N, Balkrishnan R, Benny IR. A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. Sleep Med. 2020;72:28-36. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2020.03.012
Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, et al. Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2362. doi:10.3390/nu11102362
Burdakov D, Gerasimenko O, Verkhratsky A. Physiological changes in glucose differentially modulate the excitability of hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone and orexin neurons in situ. J Neurosci. 2005;25(9):2429-2433. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4925-04.2005
Burdakov D. Effects of sugar on sleep, appetite, and reward circuits of the brain. Front Neurosci. 2010. Conference Abstract in: 2nd Selfish Brain Conference New research on the neurobiology of ingestive behaviour. 2010. doi:10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.08.00014